


caffeine and company

by SomewhereNotHere



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! Series
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2017-10-25
Packaged: 2019-01-22 18:13:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12487820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomewhereNotHere/pseuds/SomewhereNotHere
Summary: Seto Kaiba has a tendency to drink too much coffee and work ridiculous all-nighters. Ryou tries to change that before the clock hits midnight on the night of October 24th.





	caffeine and company

"You really shouldn't drink so much coffee..."

Seto sighed and narrowed his eyes at the document in his hand, "Since when did you care about my coffee consumption?"

The proposal handed to him weeks ago was still a headache even now, and Ryou's statement wasn't high on the list of things Seto was worried about. They had a deadline to get this deal done by, to gain profit as well as an ally, and there was no time to waste debating whether he drank too much of the caffeinated beverage or not.

Seto's hands were shaking as he flipped open his laptop and punched in his password. He needed to focus, and while he was a rapidly fast typer, that didn't mean he'd be immune to mistakes. He didn't mind Ryou in the office, but the minute he became a nuisance he'd have someone escort him out of the building.

"Hmm. Need me to help with anything?"

"If you'd be quiet, that'd be wonderful."

Ryou rolled his eyes and crossed his arms where he sat on the sofa. The clock above the door ticked on. Seto's office was huge, but completely barren considering its size. There were two bookshelves completely stacked from top to bottom on the far left side of the room closest to the door, the sofa that Ryou was sat on was on the right, and behind Seto was the wall made of glass that looked out over the rest of Domino City. The only thing that made the room feel remotely like an actual human being inhabited it was the photoframe on the desk; a photo of Mokubo faced Seto as he worked, reminding him exactly why he was here.

Other than his own personal endeavours, most of what he did was for his brother. Seto could deal with being stressed, overworked, even unhappy, but if Mokuba was safe and well at the end of the day that's all that mattered to him.

Ryou wanted to ask how Seto's work was going after an hour of sitting alone with his thoughts, but quickly shut his mouth as soon as he had opened it. The CEO looked deep in thought, a prominent frown on his face, and Ryou knew by the expression alone that it was definitely a bad idea to interrupt him now. Instead, he settled on getting off the sofa and walked over to the bookshelves, hoping there was some kind of normal literature for him to read and pass the time a little less boringly.

When Ryou's eyes skimmed across a fantasy book about dragons, he pulled it out, noticing the cover looked suspiciously similar to a certain Blue Eyes. He stifled a laugh. It was hidden in between various business-related books, as was to be expected in a CEO's office, but the fact that it was there in the first place and not in Seto's mansion had him raise an eyebrow.

 _'As a means of escapism, perhaps?'_ he thought. Ryou wouldn't blame him if that were the case.

"Commissioned by Seto Kaiba..." Ryou read the text on the back of the book out loud.

A loud thump from over near Seto's desk made him flinch, the sound of a stack of files falling and hitting the wood was enough to echo in the otherwise quiet office.

When Ryou looked over to the source of the sound, Seto had already crossed the room in a couple of strides. With Ryou's body still facing the bookshelf, Seto reached out to grab the book from over his shoulder, but he ducked away from his arm and hand. He only shrugged at the glare he was met with afterwards.

"Do you mind? It's like supervising a small child with you."

"I never asked to be supervised," Ryou retorted, only to receive a deep sigh in return, "Besides, I think it's cute."

Seto Kaiba -- the head CEO of Kaiba Corporation, whom not only his employees were intimidated by, but most of the population who knew about him were too -- and the word "cute" were not ever associated with each other, and for good reason.

"Cute?" Seto sighed again, placing his hand in Ryou's hair instead of reaching for the book. He ran his fingers through his locks and Ryou shivered from the touch, "Are you sure you're not the one who needs a break? You're speaking more nonsense than usual."

There was no hint of malice in Seto's voice; while he threw insults left and right at 99% of people he talked to, belittling them with scathing comments that were hard to make a comeback at, his tone was never harsh with Ryou. At least, not as harsh as usual. Being with Seto, he quickly picked up on what was meant to make someone feel awful, and what was just the stress of being Seto Kaiba talking.

With Ryou? It was mostly sleep-deprived complaints and the headaches talking.

"If you lay off the coffee, it'll make your head feel better, you know?"

Seto didn't sigh this time, but ducked his head down to Ryou's level so that their faces were only inches apart. He was breathing deeply, from agitation no doubt. Ryou shivered again at the breath on his cheek.

"If you keep insisting, then there had better be a more helpful way for me to get through my work. Try being in my shoes for a day."

"I don't think they'd fit me."

Seto closed the gap between them, but Ryou was the one who placed his lips upon Seto's first. They were chapped, from the cold weather and all the late nights Seto spent overworking himself. Ryou couldn't imagine how weak his immune system must have been thanks to the lack of sleep, and the unhealthy diet Seto had slipped into. He had a personal nutritionist, but one could only push Seto Kaiba so far until he snapped.

"You're not going to silence me like that," Ryou said after he pulled back from the kiss, before it became too heated and he lost himself in it. As soon as he felt Seto's tongue slip into his mouth, he knew right away what he was trying to do, "I'm serious about the coffee. You look like you haven't slept in weeks."

Ryou's face was slightly flushed, his cheeks tinted pink. He did enjoy kissing Seto, but only on fair terms. Using it as a means to shut him up wasn't on the top of the list of things he appreciated. Seto was cunning like that, only doing what worked in his favor.

"Ryou."

"Take a break, at least for the time being. It's worrisome."

Seto clicked his tongue against his teeth and took a deep breath. His shoulders relaxed as he exhaled, and he didn't say anything further. It was true; he was tired, and it would only be a matter of time until he felt himself swaying on his feet. His track record for all-nighters was impressive, for all the wrong reasons, but this had been the longest and most brutal continuation thus far.

If he didn't stop now, he'd have a heart attack, and then who would be around for Mokuba? He dreaded the thought.

"Fine, we'll do this your way." he turned around and walked over to the sofa, sat himself down and patted the space next to him, "I have an important meeting in the morning, so we're staying here. Lock the door before you sit down."

Ryou rolled his eyes. At least Seto met him half way, that was a vast improvement already. He did as was asked -- he pretended it hadn't sounded like a command -- and joined Seto, sitting close beside him. There was enough space for them to be further apart, but Ryou found himself gravitating towards Seto's side, his own eyelids heavy now after the toing and froing between them.

The aftershave Seto wore was intoxicating, to say the least, and being this close to him made Ryou feel more relaxed. He breathed in, the scent wafting up his nostrils, and slipped his arm around Seto's.

"You need a holiday."

"Says who?"

"Those frown lines on your forehead," Ryou replied, earning a scoff in response to his words, "And Mokuba."

Seto placed his hand atop Ryou's that rested on his arm, and lightly brushed his fingers over Ryou's knuckles, "We'll see."

Ryou's eyes were drawn to the clock then. Two minutes until midnight.

"I think you can take tomorrow off."

"Trying to make plans without my input is a bold move."

One minute until October twenty-fifth.

It was hard not to point out the irony in his statement as Seto had done the same for Ryou time and time again. While he appreciated Seto taking the time to drive him to some fancy restaurant they could enjoy together, the lack of forewarning made it a nuisance when it meant dropping everything he was busy with _just_ for him.

Although spontaneous, almost  _thoughtful_ , acts in a relationship with Seto Kaiba would make anyone feel happy if he did it solely for them.

The CEO lazily closed his eyes.

Midnight.

Ryou followed suit.

"Seto? Happy birthday."

He grunted and shifted where he sat, his body now pressed even closer to Ryou's. Seto squeezed his hand briefly with his own and kept it there.

Ryou smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> My first YGO fic (published, at least), and it's euroshipping for Seto's birthday. Happy birthday, Mr. CEO. Take some time off, you deserve it.


End file.
